Golf 101: Glossary of terms... For beginners and casual

When I was a student at Ithaca College in

the Health, Physical Education and Recreation

Department, one of the first assignments my

professors gave me was to memorize “all”

of the words and terms at the end of our

textbooks called the Glossary of Terms. It

included words and terms that were either,

“newly introduced, uncommon or specialized”

to the subject we were studying. They did this

because of how necessary and important the

terms would be to the learning process and

the direct correlation to having success taking

exams. Unfortunately, I don’t recall anyone

telling me to memorize the Glossary of Terms

at the end of any book on the subject of golf

when I decided to take up the game. Do you

recall anyone telling you?

Your assignment, therefore, should

you choose to accept it, is to refresh your

knowledge of the Glossary of Terms for Golf

and then send this article to at least three

people you know who are “beginners” to the

game of golf (within the last 12 months) or

“casual” golfers (at least 24 months). Maybe

they will memorize most of the terms so they

can enjoy the game more and understand the

golf analysts on television when they describe

tournament play, rules, scoring, etc.. Don’t

assume beginners and casual golfers know

these basic terms. If fact, I’ll bet “recreational”

golfers (played at least 3-5 years or more),

don’t know all of the terms.

Many thanks to GolfQuestions.org

Terms For The Golf Course

* Tee Box - Is the designated area where you

hit your first shot on every hole.

* Fairway - The closely mown grass down

the middle of the hole when you are standing

on the tee box.

* Rough - The longer grass on each side of

the fairway which is usually more challenging

to play from.

* Fringe - On most greens, it is the outer

ring of grass around the green that is slightly

longer than the grass on the green.

* Out of Bounds - The golf ball went beyond

the allowed boundary for the hole. The area is

usually marked with white stakes.

* Fore - If you hear the word “Fore” while

you are on the course, it is a warning sign

that a ball is headed in your direction from a

poorly struck shot and you should squat down

and put your hands on top of your head until

you are sure the ball has hit the ground.

* Approach Shot - Hitting a shot to a green

that you are confident you can reach . Usually

from the spot where your drive landed.

* Bunker - An area on the course that is

filled with sand, usually around greens and

less frequently on either side of a fairway.

* Chip - A chip shot is a type of golf shot

from a short distance to the green that does

not require a full swing to reach the green

(5-20yds).

* Slope - Is a mathematical measurement

to determine the difficulty of a golf course

depending on yardage and course contours in

fairways and difficulty of putting the greens.

Terms For The Golf Swing

* Hook - This is when the ball curves to

the “left” after being struck by a right handed

golfer...or to the “right” by a left handed

golfer.

* Slice - This is when the ball curves to the

“right” after being struck by a right handed

golfer...or to the “left” by a left handed golfer.

* Pull - When the golf ball goes straight

“left” for a right handed golfer. Straight “left”

by a left handed golfer.

* Push - When the ball goes straight “right”

for a right handed golfer. Straight “left” by a

left handed golfer.

* Draw - When a right handed golfer has

the skill to intentionally make a golf ball curve

to the “left”. A left hander curves it “right”.

* Flop Shot - When a golfer has the skill to

intentionally hit a golf ball very high from a

short distance and make it stop quickly.

Perry Noun is the former executive director of the Northeastern NY PGA as well as a competitive amateur golfer and winner of the New York State Super Senior Amateur Championship. Perry Noun can be heard on “Tee Time With The Pro-noun” on... News Radio 570 WSYR and 106.9FM.